The 14 types of Ethics (and their characteristics)

The human being has always shown concern and interest in everything related to morality. There has always been a questioning of what is right and what is wrong and where are the limits that separate both extremes. Ethics is a field of philosophy that deals with the study of this question. From this philosophical branch, the behavior of human beings is analyzed in relation to approaches such as what is correct and what is not, happiness, duty, virtue, values, etc.

Ethics has two streams, one theoretical and the other applied. The first analyzes moral issues in a theoretical and more abstract way, while the second applies this theory to various fields such as economics, medicine or psychology.

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The history of ethics

As we said, ethics has been a source of interest to people since ancient times. Already in ancient Greece, some philosophers such as Plato or Aristotle asked how the conduct of people in society was governed.

Throughout the Middle Ages, morals were strongly influenced by the church. Christianity imposed its own code of what was suitable and what was not. In this way, all people assumed that faith was the end of human existence and the manual of how to behave was materialized in the gospel. Ethics were very limited at this stage in history, in such a way that their role was limited to interpreting the sacred scriptures to elaborate the Christian code of conduct.

With the arrival of the Modern Age, the humanist current appeared and with it the desire to elaborate an ethics based on reason and not on religion. The theocentrism typical of the previous stage was transformed into anthropocentrism, assuming that it was man and not God the center of reality. At this stage philosophers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Hume and Kant stand out, the latter being the one who has had the greatest influence in the field of ethics.

The Contemporary Age was marked by disappointment. After modern times, all the plans and projects that had been raised to bring happiness to humanity had failed. For this reason, philosophers with existentialist and even nihilistic positions begin to appear. As we can see, ethics is a field of study with a very long trajectory. It is a field with great implications for society that also has different types and applications. Do you find what we tell you interesting? Well stay, because in this article we will delve into what is ethics and existing classes.

What is ethics?

Ethics is a branch of philosophy responsible for the study of morality. This area tries to analyze the behavior of people and reflect on the principles that govern them and their adequacy within the framework of a society.

The distinction between good and evil is a complex issue that involves many questions, the answer to which is sometimes very difficult to find. Sometimes there is not even a single answer, since the same situation can be conceived from different points of view. In any case, ethics tries to investigate issues such as responsibility, honesty or commitment, to put them in relationship with those actions that are carried out in society and that many times it is difficult to place in the dichotomy of what is good and what is bad.

Ethics assume that certain principles governing the conduct of individuals must be applied, all in order to achieve an organized society and a coexistence based on respect and tolerance.

What kinds of ethics are there?

According to the philosopher J. Fieser, ethics is divided into three branches: metaethics, normative ethics and applied ethics. Each of them will follow different objectives and apply different methodologies. Let's see what each one consists of.

1. The metaethics

This branch of ethics focuses on the study of the origin and meaning of our moral concepts. It is a very broad field without clear defined limits, because it works with very general and, sometimes, abstract topics. There are two main lines of research in metaethics.

1.1. The metaethics of metaphysical approach

This focuses on discovering whether the notion of good and evil is objective or subjective. That is to say, it tries to know if the concepts of good and evil are a cultural construction or, on the contrary, they exist in a “pure” way and independent of the human being.

1.2. The metaethics of psychological approach

This is aimed at the study of the most psychological aspects related to ethics. That is, it tries to investigate those aspects of greater depth that can drive us to act in a certain way. Some of the topics that are treated from this approach are the desire for social approval, fear of punishment, the search for happiness, among others.

2. Normative ethics

This type of ethics pursues establish a standard moral code that guides the conduct of people towards the good of the whole society. Normative ethics is usually based on the establishment of one or more principles. Within this branch of ethics there are several fields of study:

• Theories of virtue: this field studies the cultivation of virtue through good habits. This is conceived as an end in itself to which individuals should aspire.

• Theories of duty: This area is more focused on issues related to duty and responsibility. This field is also called deontology and it is of special importance in order to regulate the actions in the different professions. All trades can have their own deontology that specifies the professional's duty. In fact, many areas have their own code of ethics, such as medicine or psychology.

• Consequentialist theories: this area analyzes the relationship between the actions of an individual and the corresponding consequences. Any ethical action has benefits, but also costs. From this perspective, comparisons of both sides of the coin are made when acting in complex situations.

The scope of normative ethics also includes secular and religious ethics.

2.1. Secular ethics

It is ethics of a secular nature, based on virtues of a rational, logical and intellectual character.

2.2. Religious ethics

It is the ethics based on the virtues of a more spiritual type. This has as its object and purpose God, so it will vary depending on each religion. Each of them will have its own principles and values ​​that should govern the behavior of the faithful.

3. Applied ethics

This branch of ethics is the one that is most focused on real life, since it is the one used to solve and analyze specific situations. Applied ethics deals mainly with controversial issues where it is difficult to position oneself. In these types of scenarios, he addresses the central moral dilemma and tries to answer it. This area of ​​ethics is closely linked to the aforementioned normative ethics, since it addresses issues related to duty and the consequences of acts.

Among the moral situations that applied ethics analyze are abortion, the death penalty, euthanasia or surrogacy. Within applied ethics we can find as many types as there are fields with moral conflicts. Therefore, we will see very different kinds of applied ethics. Among the best known are:

3.1. Professional ethics

Ethics of this type regulates the principles that should regulate the performance of professional practice. From professional ethics, hypothetical situations are analyzed with which the professional may run into throughout his career, with the aim of setting the correct guidelines for action should they happen. Among the professionals who may face serious moral conflicts are doctors, psychologists, teachers, the military or legal professionals.

3.2. Organizational ethics

It is responsible for the establishment of a series of principles and values ​​to regulate the proper functioning of an organization. The key elements underlying this type of ethics are tolerance and respect.

3.3. Business ethics

This area is of great importance, since companies often find themselves in scenarios of great moral conflict. Economic motivation can cause many business groups to act in a discriminatory, deceptive or unfair manner. This type of ethics is in charge of raising these scenarios to assess which action is the most appropriate in each case according to the common good.

3.4. Environmental ethics

This area focuses on assessing the actions of human beings on the natural environment. Among the most frequent topics of debate are environmental overexploitation, animal rights, endangered species or emissions and waste from industry.

3.5. Social ethics

In this kind of ethics ethical issues related to social problems are analyzed that affect humanity, such as discrimination on any ground or human rights violations.

3.6. Bioethics

This area raises dilemmas related to life sciences and living beings. Among the issues that are subject to analysis and debate are abortion, euthanasia or genetic manipulation.

3.7. Communication ethics

This area tries to assess ethical issues related to the media. Among the key points to be addressed in this line are freedom of expression, the influence of particular interests on the information, the veracity of the information that is disseminated, etc.